So the Baron who had lent Percvale money all those years ago was still ruling Thandor.

Darion found himself imagining the man automatically.

Older now, obviously. Probably somewhere around Garren’s age if what Garren said was accurate. Back then the Baron of Thandor had apparently only just inherited leadership, young and inexperienced, yet still willing to help a neighboring territory that was already beginning to collapse.

That alone said something about his character.

Most rulers would’ve avoided Percvale entirely after the invasion. A damaged Barony drowning in debt and instability wasn’t an opportunity, it was a burden waiting to spread.

Yet this man had still opened his treasury and handed over seven thousand coins simply because he saw people suffering.

Darion leaned back slightly in his chair.

A young Baron doing that in a world like this was rare. Not impossible, but rare.

But then, he shouldn’t be so surprised, they were genuinely nice people in this world, he had seen that with the bar owner on the road to Ghlk.

The man had given them a room even when the coins they had wasn’t the required number for a room.

And the next morning, he had chatted with them and gave them free food.

That was ’Nice’ and ’Kind’ too.

After a short pause, Garren added:

"And to answer your earlier question... I honestly don’t think he’ll react to Percvale’s debt situation now."

Darion raised an eyebrow slightly.

"You think he’s forgotten?"

"Not forgotten," Garren corrected. "Just... accepted it as gone."

Darion thought about that carefully.

Interesting.

"He is a good Baron," Darion said finally.

"Indeed."

Garren nodded once.

Then Darion said something that made the older knight glance at him briefly.

"He would’ve been a valuable ally if Percvale’s previous rulers weren’t fools."

Garren gave a quiet huff of agreement.

"That is true."

Darion leaned back slightly again, thinking.

Allies mattered.

No kingdom survived entirely alone forever, especially smaller territories surrounded by larger powers.

Allies meant trade opportunities, military assistance, political protection and information sharing.

And perhaps most importantly? Stability.

Right now Percvale had none of that.

They had no allied Barony, no trusted neighboring ruler and no political support structure whatsoever.

Which made sense considering Percvale’s history.

A collapsing territory filled with debt wasn’t exactly attractive politically. Most rulers would’ve avoided attaching themselves to it entirely.

But now...

Now things were changing.

Darion tapped his fingers lightly once against the wooden table.

Because Thandor’s Baron sounded reasonable.

Not weak and not naïve, just decent.

Darion thought briefly about Aldric.

Valdenmoor’s king had pressured Percvale aggressively over debt repayment until everything escalated into open conflict.

But this Baron of Thandor had apparently done the opposite years ago.

He had helped.

And when repayment became impossible, he hadn’t tried to crush Percvale further.

He had simply stepped back.

That kind of ruler was useful, potentially very useful actually.

Garren seemed to notice the direction Darion’s thoughts were drifting toward.

The older knight narrowed his eyes slightly.

"You’re thinking about something," he said carefully.

Darion glanced at him briefly.

"Maybe."

Garren frowned harder now, clearly trying to piece it together.

"My lord... if you’re considering using the treasury to repay Thandor immediately, that may not be wise."

Darion shook his head once.

"That’s not exactly what I’m thinking."

Then he went quiet again.

The seven thousand coins wasn’t the important thing anymore.

The relationship was. That was what interested him.

Percvale needed neighboring territories that didn’t immediately view it as prey, a burden or a future corpse waiting to happen.

And if Thandor’s Baron truly was the kind of man Garren described...

Then perhaps this was an opportunity. A real one.

Darion’s thoughts moved carefully through the possibilities.

If news spread that Percvale was recovering: that the farmland was returning, the military growing stronger and the treasury suddenly filled with gold, then eventually the remaining creditors would start paying attention.

That could become dangerous very quickly.

Because recovering territories attracted attention.

And attention attracted pressure.

Some rulers might assume Percvale suddenly had enough wealth to immediately clear every debt at once.

Others might start worrying that Percvale’s recovery would eventually shift regional power balances.

Some might even attempt what Valdenmoor did.

Which meant controlling how Percvale reintroduced itself politically actually mattered.

Darion’s fingers tapped once more against the wooden table.

If Thandor learned about Percvale’s recovery naturally through rumors... 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Then the Baron might simply think:

’Ah. So the dead Barony finally stood back up.’

And perhaps demand repayment afterward, not maliciously but logically.

But if Percvale approached first?

If Darion personally reached out before rumors fully spread?

Then the situation changed entirely. The message became intentional goodwill rather than obligation.

Garren was still watching him carefully.

"What are you actually considering?" the older knight asked.

Darion looked toward the hall windows briefly.

Then he looked back at Garren.

"What if," he said slowly, "instead of letting Thandor continue believing Percvale is still the same broken Barony it used to be..."

He paused briefly.

"...we approach first?"

Garren blinked once.

Darion continued before the older knight could interrupt.

"What if we show him that Percvale is recovering willingly instead of forcing him to discover it through rumors later?"

Garren frowned slightly, thinking.

Darion could practically see the calculations happening behind his eyes now.

"A goodwill approach," Garren murmured.

"Exactly."

Darion leaned forward slightly.

"If this Baron really is decent, then he already expects those seven thousand coins to be gone forever."

"Yes."

"Which means anything returned now changes the entire tone of the relationship."

Garren stayed silent.

Darion’s thoughts moved further ahead.

Trade agreements eventually.Military cooperation later if necessary. Shared protection during dangerous winters.

A nearby ally who didn’t immediately assume Percvale was a problem.

That kind of relationship was valuable, epecially for a recovering territory.

And honestly? Darion wanted at least one neighboring ruler who didn’t look at Percvale like it was contagious failure.

The hall became quiet for several seconds.

Then slowly, a faint smile appeared on Darion’s face.

"What if," he said quietly, "instead of treating this like debt repayment..."

Garren watched him carefully.

"...we treat it like the beginning of an alliance."

The older knight stared at him for a moment.

Then realization slowly crossed his face.

Darion paused briefly before continuing.

"What if we pay three thousand coins now," he said, "And personally request that he forgive the remaining four?"